News
Climate change is not just about science – it’s about the future we want to create
Next December, 196 nations will meet in Paris to agree a course of action to respond to climate change. They will do so under the auspices of the UN framework convention on climate change. This is an international treaty negotiated at the Earth summit in Rio in 1992 with the objective to “stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system”.
The discussions in Paris in 2015 will be informed by the latest climate science. In our play 2071, which recently completed its inaugural run at the Royal Court theatre in London, directed by Katie Mitchell, we explore the science, its implications and the options before us. A key aim is to leave the audience better placed to participate in the public discourse, in which we all need to play a part.
Placido Domingo to be named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, will appoint world-famous tenor and conductor Placido Domingo as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador on 21 November.
The ceremony at the Organization’s Headquarters (7.30 pm) will be followed by a fundraising gala for the Education for All Programme.
Ban welcomes $9 billion in pledges to Green Climate Fund at Berlin Conference
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the pledges of more than $9.3 billion made by Governments towards the initial capitalisation of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at the first pledging conference for the mechanism, being held in Berlin, Germany.
In a statement, the Secretary-General's Spokesperson said that these pledges “will go far to kick-start” the operationalization of the Fund.
G20 communique signals climate change action
G20 nations have backed strong action on climate change in the wake of the Brisbane leaders' summit.
'We support strong and effective action to address climate change,' the official communique released on Sunday said.
On margin of G20 Summit, UN chief meets with world leaders to discuss pressing issues
On the margins of the G20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today met with senior European officials as well as Turkey's Prime Minister to discuss the ongoing Ukraine crisis, the Ebola outbreak, climate change, and combating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
According to his spokesperson, Mr. Ban held meetings with Mr. Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council and Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission.
World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development calls for renewed commitment by all countries
World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, closed today with a declaration calling for urgent action to mainstream ESD and include ESD in the post-2015 development agenda. The Aichi-Nagoya Declaration calls on all nations to implement the Global Action Programme on ESD (GAP) to move the ESD agenda forward.
“We were able to share successful initiatives from all over the world, to help government representatives and other key stakeholders formulate new goals and objectives. We have shaped these into a Roadmap for ESD that will implement the Global Action Programme,” said Mr Qian Tang, Assistant Director-General for Education of UNESCO.
The Director-General and Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco join forces to promote sustainable development
At the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Aichi-Nagoya, the Director-General held talks, on 10 November 2014, with Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco, President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection.
Expressing her gratitude for the participation of Her Royal Highness in the Conference, the Director-General commended the Foundation’s work and the scope of its projects covering the Eco-Schools network, raising the journalists’ awareness, coastal protection, the prize for young environmental reporters, educational activities in the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean, and many others.
At UN conference, education takes centre-stage in planning for a sustainable future
10 November 2014 – The role education can play in preparing the world's youth for a sustainable future is becoming increasingly relevant, particularly as the planet is set to face growing economic, social and environmental challenges, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared today as she opened a conference on the subject in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
“To achieve sustainable development, technology, political regulations and financial incentives will not suffice – we need to change the way that we think and act, as individuals and as societies,” UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, told delegates at the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
